Family, faith and service are among the values that guide Payson resident and businessman Steve Christensen, who took the oath of office Tuesday, Jan. 12 to serve as Gila County’s District 1 Supervisor. Currently one of five Elders leading the Church of Christ on West Olive, his diverse resume ranges from cabinet-maker to pilot and flight instructor. He also served on the Payson Historic Preservation and Conservation Commission and the Payson Airport Commission. Many in Payson know Christensen and his wife Karen from the T-shirt screen-printing and embroidery business they owned and operated here. Sworn in during a special Board of Supervisors meeting, he accepted the call to fill the District 1 seat after the Dec. 10 death of Tommie Cline Martin, who was beginning her fourth term on the board after winning re-election in November. 

If the surname sounds familiar, it should: Steve’s father Ron Christensen served 16 years in office as Gila County’s District 1 Supervisor, representing Payson and Rim Country from 1989 - 2004.

“My dad talked about issues such as taxation, property valuations, road improvement - and described how the job took him to Washington, DC, advocating for Gila County and funding for various projects that rely on federal support,” Steve Christensen said. “I knew Tommie, and knew her parents as well. When my father decided to retire from the Board of Supervisors he encouraged and supported Tommie to run. Over the years I have been approached numerous times to run, but Tommie was a fellow Republican - and we shared many values such as keeping taxes as low as possible, and for county government to continue living within a budget.

“Forest health and watershed protection are among my priorities. These are also values that Tommie was known for, and which I will focus on. I have been given this opportunity to take an active role with forest management,  wildfire safety and watersheds - and a responsibility to restrain our budget and continue to hold the line on taxes.”

Martin’s death left a difficult decision to her fellow Supervisors Tim R. Humphrey and Woody Cline, of District 2 and District 3 respectively - to appoint a successor to serve through the 2022 midterm elections.

“We are still grieving the loss of Tommie Martin, and we gave a lot of serious thought, time and energy in choosing someone to fulfill her term in office. We considered more than 20 men and women for this job,” Cline said. “District 1 is fortunate to have so many qualified candidates that were willing to step forward and fill the vacancy. I believe Tommie would be pleased with our choice. Steve has a business background and deep connections in Payson. He’s a man of faith and has demonstrated his commitment to Rim Country. I’m grateful that he’s willing to join us.”

Born in Indiana in 1958, Steve Christensen grew up in Douglas, where he met his wife, Karen. Early in his career he spent 12 years as licensed pilot and flight instructor at Cochise College, then lived and worked in Phoenix installing custom cabinets. The Christensens have two children, a daughter in Payson and a son near Dallas, Texas. After two decades in business, they sold their Payson T-shirt screen printing and embroidery company in 2010. Entrepreneurs, both remain in the workforce: Karen runs her own contract mail route while Steve resumed his passion for carpentry full-time, spending the past decade building custom cabinets and furniture for clients throughout Rim Country.

“After working with Supervisor Martin for four years, and looking forward to working with her for four more, it has been difficult to appoint someone to take the position of District 1 Supervisor,” said Humphrey. “Now that the process is complete, I am looking forward to getting back to agenda meetings with all three districts represented.”